What choices do you make in terms of food/nutrition/product use and consumption that may have an impact on your microbial communities?
There are approximately 10 times as many microorganisms within the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract of humans (approximately 100 trillion) as there are somatic cells within the body. While most of the microbes are bacteria, the gut can also harbor yeasts, single-cell eukaryotes, viruses and small parasitic worms.
So when it comes to influencing the microbial community in the stomach one should consider what foods might improve gut microbial health and what could hurt this microbial community. The microbial community plays a huge roll in immune health and has been linked with inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, when the balance of gut microflora is out of whack .
This community, referred to by scientists as your “gut microbiota” or “gut microbiome,” can be composed of around 500 species which each supply their own benefits: Some of them break down your food and extract nutrients; others hunt for food pathogens; and others help protect you from colds and flus. In fact, they play such a critical role in our health that many experts have started to refer to the microbiome as its own organ.
When we consume too much junk food or sugary snacks this can have a negative effect on the gut microbiota. Our weight has been shown to correlate with types of bacteria in the gut. Studies have shown us that obese people have higher levels of bad bacteria from the phylum Firmicutes while lean people have higher levels of bacteria from the phylum Bacteroidetes (1).
Another aspect of a healthy gut is Inflammation and how to prevent chronic inflammation that could lead to inflammatory bowel disease. Your immune system attacks anything in your body that it recognizes as foreign—such as an invading microbe, plant pollen, or chemical. The process is called inflammation. Intermittent bouts of inflammation directed at truly threatening invaders protect your health. Many major diseases that plague us including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer’s have been linked to chronic inflammation.One of the most powerful tools to combat inflammation comes not from the pharmacy, but from the grocery store. Choose the right foods, and you may be able to reduce your risk of illness. Consistently pick the wrong ones, and you could accelerate the inflammatory disease process.
Foods that inflameTry to avoid or limit these foods as much as possible:
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To reduce levels of inflammation, aim for an overall healthy diet. If you’re looking for an eating plan that closely follows the tenets of anti-inflammatory eating, consider the Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation
Figure from: Publications, Harvard Health. “Foods that fight inflammation.” Harvard Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2017.
References:
Boulangé CL, Neves AL, Chilloux J, Nicholson JK, Dumas M. 2016. Impact of the gut microbiota on inflammation, obesity, and metabolic disease. Genome Medicine. 8:42.
Publications, Harvard Health. “Foods that fight inflammation.” Harvard Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2017.
